Filling the terahertz gap

摘要

Developing sources and detectors of electromagnetic radiation has been fundamental to scientific progress. But such devices have been lacking in one part of the spectrum - the so called 'terahertz gap'. This area, in which practical technologies for generating and detecting the radiation do not exist, lies between the microwave and infrared, covering frequencies from 0.1 to 10THz. The THz gap matters because radiation from this part of the spectrum has special features. Terahertz light has remarkable properties: it is intrinsically safe, non ionising, non destructive. Detecting reflected THz radiation makes it possible to create spectroscopic information and 3D images with unique spectroscopic signatures - terahertz fingerprints - not found at other wavelengths like optical and infrared. THz imaging also produces results more quickly than X-rays.